Beech C23 accident near Statesboro, Georgia, December 4, 1994
On December 4, 1994 at about 5:45 am local time, a Beech C23, registered N9790L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Statesboro, Georgia (Statesboro Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S IMPAIRMENT OF JUDGMENT AND PERFORMANCE DUE TO ALCOHOL, IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION, FLIGHT INTO ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND FAILURE TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALTITUDE/CLEARANCE FROM WOODED TERRAIN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS AND THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 4, 1994 · about 5:45 am local time
- Place
- Statesboro, Georgia · Statesboro Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech C23 · all C23s on the register
- Registration
- N9790L · no longer on the register · serial M-1397
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A RELATIVE OF THE STUDENT PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD BEEN AT HER HOME UNTIL 2342 ON THE EVENING OF THE ACCIDENT. SHE STATED THAT HE HAD BEEN DRINKING BEFORE ARRIVAL AT HER HOME AND HAD CONSUMED ONE BEER WHILE THERE. WHEN HE LEFT, HE STATED THAT HE WAS GOING TO HIS HOME. WITNESSES ABOUT ONE MILE FROM THE AIRPORT OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT IMPACT TREES WHILE AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED AND IN AN ESTIMATED 15 DEGREE DESCENT. THE WRECKAGE PATH EXTENDED ABOUT 405 FEET FROM THE TREES INTO AN OPEN FIELD. THE WITNESSES ESTIMATED THE WEATHER WAS OVERCAST WITH A CEILING OF ABOUT 500 FEET AND REDUCED VISIBILITY DUE TO FOG. TOXICOLOGY TESTS SHOWED THE PILOT HAD ETHANOL LEVELS OF 223 MG/DL (0.22%) IN HIS BLOOD, 249 MG/DL (0.25%) IN HIS URINE, AND 246 MG/DL (0.25%) IN HIS VITREOUS FLUID.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 52 hours in all; 52 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 9, 1993
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4G (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: TBR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:18 am from TBR, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N9790L the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.